Week 10: Computer Controlled Machining

xdd44, Nov. 13, 2024

• - Car Spoiler

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Car Spoiler

For this week I decided to make a spoiler for my car, aiming at actually carrying it out for a drive!

I started by getting a 1-dollar 3d model of my car from Taobao and modeling the design.

I noticed that there are handles inside my trunk, as well as screws at the buttom of my rear bumper, where I could attach my spoiler with fishing wire. Therefore I left holes on my design for wire to go through.

Thanks a lot for help from Jacob and shop manager Chris for running the CNC for me! (In fact two drill bits were broken for cutting my file... Chris was guessing the OSB board was too strong)

I assembled it and felt the wooden color and texture would be too eye-catching, so I decided to spray paint it to the same color of my car.

Later at night, I attached it to my car. Turns out it can sit quite stably on my car even without any assistance, so I believed there won't be much load going into the wire. Therefore, I carried it out for a ride.

I was still afraid it may fall off due to shaking, so I drove extremely carefully at 20mph. It was already midnight so there's no car on Memorial Drive, but I indeed passed MIT Police lol. In the end I reached my home without any issue.

Of course I've checked Massachusetts's law on car modification and my spoiler should be perfectly street legal: it doesn't block my view, doesn't block my lights and plate, doesn't fall off...